One Week
by CrystalZhaI
Summary: “Sarah…” He whispered, enjoying the sound of her name. “Sarah, say your right words…”
1. Chapter 1

Labyrinth 1

A shrill scream split the silent night air as a small figure returned from the land of dreams, sitting up straight and gripping an old, age worn quilt for safety. Hazel eyes darted around a heavily decorated room, vaguely recognizing the familiar posters, vanity, and an assortment of odds and ends, including a shelf of stuffed animals. The empty slot where Lancelot used to be was noted dully, barely a flicker of recognition in the back of a young woman's mind, still foggy and panicked from a nightmare. When the night remained silent, and there were no monsters in sight, the girl took a shuddering breath, her young heart still racing in fear. For she was a young woman, not quite an adult, yet still clinging to traces of childhood, as the room itself indicated.

Remnants of the dream flashed through her frazzled mind, a clock chiming thirteen times, voices laughing, telling her to go back, small creatures pushing her to and fro, walls reordering themselves, caging her in. Suddenly she was falling; hands grabbed at her, only to laugh and let go. It was so dark and she was falling, screaming and grasping frantically at anything, desperate for anyone to help her. But, even then, something kept her from screaming the name of the only person who could.

Sarah closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm her pounding heart. Tears stung her eyes, and after a moment, she mouthed his name, still unable to even whisper it. "Jareth…" It was no more than a puff of air… but it was enough…

A pair of mismatched eyes snapped open as Jareth, the Goblin King, felt the pull of an unspoken wish call him aboveground. It was a call, but without the right words, he was unable to respond. He glanced down at his Labyrinth from his perch on a window in the tallest tower in his kingdom. He had been there for hours, daydreaming, pretending that he wasn't a king and didn't have a horde of dimwitted goblins to call his subjects.

He glanced down one last time before summoning a crystal to see who called, a strange hesitancy about his actions. He raised an eyebrow, surprised despite himself at what he saw. It was Sarah, his Sarah, and she was crying. He smiled bitterly. All she ever had to do was ask; He was a mere wish away. She wanted him but held herself back. He wondered if it was pride or fear that kept her from giving in to what she obviously wanted. Her rejection still weighed heavily on his mind, so long ago and yet the wound was still raw and bleeding. The thought prompted a small smirk.

"Sarah…" He whispered, enjoying the sound of her name. "Sarah, say your right words…"


	2. Chapter 2

Labyrinth 2

Dawn came slowly, far too slowly for Sarah as she stared out of her window. The horizon transformed from a deep blue to pink as the stars disappeared one by one. They seemed to give up, surrendering to a force that shown much brighter than themselves and fading out of existence. Sarah frowned and shook her head, impatiently dismissing such melancholy thoughts as the first rays of sunlight appeared over the horizon.

"So upset over a dream! It wasn't _that _scary anyway…" Sarah was a great actress and sounded very self assured and confident, but there was no one to convince of her bravery, and she was not quite able to fool herself.

After a few moments, she stood and walked over to her vanity, nearly stumbling from sitting in the same position all night. Sarah ran a brush through her long, dark brown hair, analyzing herself in the mirror with a critical eye. She was nearly eighteen now; her birthday was in one week and she didn't think she looked much like an adult, but she felt older, more wise, somehow. There were dark circles underneath her hazel eyes, proof that last nights dream was not the first to cause a sleepless night spent watching the horizon. No, that nightmare had been one of many, and they had only gotten steadily worse as her birthday came nearer. Despite her vivacity and stubbornness, they were beginning to take their toll.

She stared into the mirror silently before gently calling, "Hoggle? Sir Didymus? Ludo?" Sarah frowned, nervously playing with her hairbrush. "Is anyone there?" The only reply was silence. She knew it wasn't their fault, they were somehow busy and unable to respond, but she felt her temper rising nonetheless, though the rejection she felt was the least of her concerns.

And last night she had almost called him.. She had almost called on Jareth for help. For help of all things! He wouldn't have shown up anyway… but what if he had? The great Goblin King would come and save a silly teenage girl from her nightmares! Not just any silly teenage girl, but one who ran his labyrinth and beat him at his own game… and she rejected him. That was the best part really.

"He probably hates me now…" She could just imagine his reaction, the hatred and scorn she would see in his eyes as he laughed at her. She was just a foolish child running from her dreams. He had offered her dreams once. Had she only thought to look past the crystal, to how the hand that was holding it trembled. If she had only noticed that the true offering was the man behind the crystal. But she had been so young and had only noticed her baby brother. She hadn't spared him a second thought. He had been her enemy, the villain. But, that was the role she had wanted him to play, and she hadn't realized it was a role, nothing more…

The first year back from the labyrinth was filled with joy and the sheer thrill that she won her baby brother back. It was also filled with laughter, for she had her friends from the labyrinth over almost everyday. She had finally stomped down her anger and envy and patched up her relationship with her father, eventually even beginning a tentative friendship with Karen as she helped take care of Toby. She had thought of Jareth and smiled, remembering that she had won. She felt confident, overconfident even.

After her sixteenth birthday, she grew more mature and the thrill had worn off, leaving her thinking over her experiences in his labyrinth, trying to look at everything more objectively. The more she mulled over those thirteen hours, the more confused she was over Jareth's actions. She thought of the dance they had shared in the ballroom, so long ago it seemed, and his final offer. He had looked so sad and weary, as if he had already known her answer and yet had to try. And she hadn't given him a second thought, barely processing his words as she searched for her lines. Was his offer true? Did he really offer his heart or was that a final test?

She had asked Hoggle once, vaguely of course, how his majesty was doing. Hoggle had said he seemed normal, but less lively. He thought it was because Jareth was a sore loser; a runner had never made it to the castle before, after all. "Although… He even got my name right." Hoggle had gone quiet for a moment before saying that maybe something was wrong,

After her seventeenth birthday, Sarah realized that she felt little to no attraction to boys her age. _Maybe its because of my basis for comparison_, she had thought with a smile. _They are not what I want. _When she thought about what she did want, Jareth's words echoed through her mind. _"Fear me, love me, do as I say… and I will be your slave."_ Such promises from a king! Regret had filled her then, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. She had been so young and so foolish then. If only she had realized what she was really denying. "But… What's said is said. It's too late now." She had said, bravely of course, valiantly ignoring the tears in her eyes and the trembling in her hands.

Shortly afterwards, the dreams began, the horrible dreams that consumed her slowly as her eighteenth birthday grew near. It was a birthday that she dreaded, for she wasn't ready to grow up, and even though she tried, she didn't feel like she belonged here. She felt like her home was in the labyrinth. It was a feeling she tried desperately to ignore, scoffing at it on the surface yet feeling uneasy because she couldn't fool herself into believing the discontent would go away over time. She was lonely and awkward around her peers, wishing for an escape, but unable to let herself believe there was hope. Jareth hated her and she couldn't possibly belong there.

She was afraid to call out to him. She was afraid of his anger, of his mocking laugh if she managed to make the wish. Her pride also kept her from calling him because she rebelled against the idea of him seeing just how much his absence affected her. She wanted to be strong, and to not _cry _in front of him. It was the horrible mix of those two forces, and the nagging fear of rejection that kept her silent for three long years. But someday, even the most stubborn must bend… or break.


	3. Chapter 3

Labyrinth 3

A riding crop restlessly tapped against a well polished black boot while a pair of mismatched eyes glanced lazily at the chaos surrounding the large and overly ornate throne. Goblins perched on every available surface, screaming, laughing, and fighting. Their eyes were glazed from rum and their movements were clumsy and jerky, all thrown objects, and squalling chickens, missed their marks as the once grand throne room was further reduced to a tattered caricature of its former glory.

One particularly drunk goblin stumbled into the Goblin King, who was gracefully sprawled across his throne. He, justly, felt indignant as the putrid odor of alcohol wafted through his nostrils, causing him to frown in disgust and sharply poke the unfortunate goblin with his riding crop. The small and oblivious creature squeaked loudly, falling on top of another goblin and causing yet another brawl. The further escalation of noise caused Jareth to rub a hand over his eyes, rudely shaken out of his memories of the night before.

The dreams dear Sarah had been having woke him every night, and the lack of sleep made him more irritable than normal, the antics of his _loyal_ subjects were grating against his nerves and causing him to wonder more and more often, whether goblins could die. Eventually, his thoughts slowly turned, as they had for three long years, back to a very hardheaded girl with wide, innocent hazel eyes… eyes that could be so horribly cruel. A slender gloved hand absently grabbed the odd necklace around his neck as the sounds of his kingdom dimmed, his gaze turning absent one more.

He wondered what she dreamed of, what nightmares awoke her night after night just to leave her watching the sun rise, too afraid to sleep and silently screaming his name so loudly his ears rang and his heart raced… he actually felt fear, and unbeknownst to Sarah, he watched the dawn with her, the sound of his name echoing through his skull, even though she hadn't had the courage to say it aloud.

He smiled despite his morbid thoughts. She was such a silly, hard-headed girl, so stubborn when all she had to do was say the right words. Such a simple feat, and yet, as always, it was a matter of waiting for her to stop head-butting an open door and walk through it. Yet, he was a very, very patient man and their game continued. She won his labyrinth, but that was a mere battle, and the war didn't seem to be over. He wondered what truly caused her nightmares, for the effect on him had to have been nothing compared to what was happening to her. She grew progressively thinner and those innocent eyes looked more haunted and scared by the night. What if-

The room grew dead silent, goblins scrambling over each other, listening with barely contained excitement. Jareth slowly sat up, his contemplation forgotten. Breathless seconds later, it happened.

"**I wish the goblins would come and take you away… Right NOW."**

Jareth quickly summoned a crystal with an elegant wave of his hand, as the goblins went berserk, disappearing one by one. He peered into the clear orb in his gloved hand and was struck speechless with what he saw inside. He shook himself to his senses and threw his crystal toward a nearby wall, the orb bursting into a wall of shimmering light. He ran toward it, morphing into a barnyard owl, exiting through a grimy window where a terrified girl awaited him.

Terrified brown eyes looked up at him, one surrounded by a particularly nasty bruise, tears causing them to shine in the dim street light. He looked her over with a practiced look of indifferent disdain although he almost cringed at the pathetic excuse of a room he stood in. Every piece of furniture and floor was covered in clothing, food, and objects he refused to allow himself to identify and the terrified, scantily clad, stick of a girl couldn't be over eighteen.

"Well, well, well… Whatever shall we do with you, my dear?" He smirked slowly, leaning over her as she shrunk away.

"You-you're the Goblin King." She whispered, voice shaking.

"Why so scared, child? I only did as you asked. What shall we do with you? Will you run the labyrinth to take back the child I have so _wrongfully _stolen? …or…" He looked her over slowly, leaning over her, so close that he could almost hear her heart beat. His smirk slowly widened, a shark narrowing in on its helpless prey.

"O-Or…?" She repeated the word a mere whisper. He leaned away, turning to stare at the equally grimy street.

He allowed his smirk to slowly grow into a smile, for he was the Goblin King and this was his realm. He felt strangely alive with the power.

"Tell me!" The girl shrieked, the sound broken and high pitched with a sob. She fell forward, grabbing his arm and falling to her knees. "Tell me! Please…"

Jareth slowly turned, glancing down at the wrecked child clinging to him. It was obvious, even to the untrained eye that she was a desperate drug addict, and he tried to ignore the naked, unmoving man sprawled across the nearly destroyed bed, if it could be called that, and the painfully obvious needle still embedded in his arm. He choked back a lump that suddenly appeared in his throat, feeling revulsion and pity for the broken creature next to him.

He summoned a crystal and kneeled down next to the girl, holding it in front of her.

"I offer you this. It is a crystal, nothing more, but if you turn it this way, it will show you your dreams… All that you must do for such a gift is to give me the baby." His voice was soft, almost a purr. He watched her with an unreadable expression and his mismatched eyes were cold. The girl watched his gift with glazed and hypnotized eyes. She then slowly reached toward it, her hand shaking. He pulled it back from her outstretched fingers. She let out a strangled yell and leapt toward it, missing due to the drugs in her system.

"So, this crystal is your choice?" He asked calmly, raising an eyebrow and playing with the crystal, effortlessly twirling it from one hand to another. "You choose the crystal over _your_ child?"

She looked up at him, opening and closing her mouth as tears ran down her face. She reached toward him one more before finally whispering "Yes, yes, yes, yes. G-give it to me, _please_."

He leaned toward her once more, closing her dirty hands around the glittering orb. "Then it is done…" He whispered, looking down at the pathetic creature peering into his gift, enraptured and unaware of the outside world. "A mere crystal in exchange for a life."

The girl didn't even notice the barnyard owl take off toward the moon. Jareth flew away from the hellhole his newest citizen had been born in, trying to focus on the cool wind blowing through his feathers instead of the grief he felt for the child that had a child, only to give it away for a mere crystal, little more than a trinket in exchange for a baby, an innocent creature that wasn't given a chance. But down in the underground, in his kingdom the babe would find a home among the lost and lonely. The child would never hurt again and that was comfort enough.

His thoughts were interrupted as a horrified scream, causing him to nearly fall from the sky. He flapped his wings quickly, trying to regain his equilibrium. It was dear Sarah silently calling for him, but it still wasn't the right words… It was enough nonetheless, and despite his better judgment, he found himself altering his flight path, unable to keep himself from going to Sarah.

He perched on a branch outside of her window, feeling a vague sense of déjà vu. Jareth peered in, watching her tremble, her tear-filled eyes looking around her room before she slowly rose and stumbled toward the window. He had seen her do this so many times through his crystals, but it was somehow more painful to see it in person. She looked so frail that it was frightening. _'Dear Sarah…'_ She curled up onto her window seat, staring up at the clear night sky and obviously trying to regain her composure, looking angry with herself. Stubbornness was finally overriding terror, it seemed. That was the boneheaded little girl he knew… and loved. _'Such a sap in my old age…'_ She sniffed and impatiently wiped her tears away, and he knew that she was probably telling herself that she was overreacting as she always did, and as always, she wasn't able to fool herself. _'No more then she can fool me.'_

Yet, despite the fake bravery, she silently repeated his name again, the action making him shiver in ecstasy, the sound of his name from her lips would have made him smirk at the longing in it if he was in human form, but his eyes still shined with glee. _'Dear Sarah, you precious thing, I have power over you still.'_


	4. Chapter 4

Labyrinth 4

It was the incessant barking that woke her. A frustrated groan escaped the semi-conscious brunette as she fumbled for the edge of the bed. She tried to wiggle out of her blanket, but fell onto the floor in an ungraceful heap of arms, legs, and fabric. Sarah struggled to her feet, all thoughts centered on murdering the yapping dog she loved.

"Shut up, Merlin!" Sarah called as she glanced behind her, feeling pity through her annoyance and growing headache for what looked like a massacre behind her. Stuffed animals were strewn haphazardly, motionless and silent on a sea of a red quilt. She paused momentarily, thinking to give them some dignity by at least throwing them on the bed, but her dog somehow managed to howl even louder. Sarah whirled to the door, her headache pounding in time with her heartbeat.

"Oh! Merlin, _shut_ _up_!" In the time it took to barrel down the stairs and throw on a pair of old sneakers, her beloved dog, and headache, reached a maddening crescendo. Sarah slammed the front door open, only to pause in confusion, for Merlin sat in front of the porch, staring at her calmly, his tail wagging lazily behind him. Sarah frowned, still feeling the need to kill and stalked toward the scruffy beast.

"_What_ was that all about!? What do you want? You little-" Suddenly, Merlin tuned and ran down the driveway, leaving a baffled Sarah behind him. She growled before taking off after him, her befuddled brain vaguely noting that they were headed toward the park.

She chased the exasperating canine across streets, through yards, down sidewalks, and all too suddenly, she was there, in her park, the place she spent so much of her life, acting, reading, sketching, writing, and dreaming. She gazed around nostalgically, hazel eyes unfocussed as she reminisced. She suddenly noticed, Merlin was gone, and as she carefully scanned the area, she realized, it wasn't important anymore. That wasn't why she was here. But, why was she here? There was something she needed to find, something she wanted.

The sun began to set behind her, reflections of orange, gold, pink, and blue danced across the nearby lake. Sarah closed her eyes, trying to concentrate past the pounding of her head and heart when she heard it, an owl's soft hoot, a quiet question that made the maddening pounding cease. Sarah's eyes snapped open and rested upon a calm white barnyard owl. She reached toward him, toward Jareth, relieved and shyly smiling despite herself. Her mouth opened, ready to call to him, but only breath passed her lips. Sarah frowned and tried again, feeling the stirrings of fear and uncertainty.

The barnyard owl blinked slowly and gave Sarah a half lidded gaze that made her feel guilty, as if he was disappointed in her. Sarah's frown grew deeper, feeling irrationally angry at him. How could he look at her like that when he hadn't tried to help her? The owl gave her a sad look before silently and gracefully taking flight, thus dissipating her self-righteous anger just as quickly as it began. She chased after him, suddenly desperate to catch him.

"Wait!" She called, racing after the disappearing creature, but her efforts were in vain, for he was only flying further and further away from her. A smooth and silky voice whispered her name "Sarah…" She impatiently tried to wipe away the tears that blurred her vision, unable to stop them at the sound of his voice.

"Sarah…"

"Sarah!"

"SARAH!"

With a gasp, Sarah awoke. The world was tilted on its side and she saw only the edge of her desk and the crossed arms of her annoyed Chemistry teacher. She blushed, feeling confused and timid at the glare the older woman was giving her. "Um… I-I'm sorry, Mrs. Wall." Sarah stuttered sheepishly, trying to hide her red face from the snickering class.

Mrs. Wall paused, raising an eyebrow before carefully asking, "Should I be insulted?" An awkward silence hung in the air as Sarah mentally scrambled for a reply, but it was broken in moments as Mrs. Wall returned to the days lesson, stoichiometry. But Sarah couldn't concentrate, all thought returned to the dream she had just had, hazel eyes drifted toward the floor, filled with worry, unable to believe that one of those dreams had happened during school, that the line between reality and fantasy had become so blurred that Sarah could no longer tell which was the dream.

She carefully rubbed her eyes with a sigh, and chose to stare out of the window, subconsciously looking for a barnyard owl, the owl that gave her such a sad and disappointed look. It made her squirm with guilt, for the last time he looked at her like that, she had rejected him, always the victim of her irrational and childish, self-righteous anger.

_Jareth_, "I'm sorry…"


End file.
